Police in the Lake District are hunting a Benny Hill-style gang who lean out of car windows to slap the bottoms of women riding bikes.

The gang of leering, cackling youths are touring the roads around Barrow, Cumbria, on the lookout for ladies cycling in Lycra shorts.

Just like a scene from a Benny Hill Show, they wind down the window, reach out and smack the women's bottoms before roaring off.

The youths are wreaking havoc in the usually quiet seaport town. Three women have reported their anti-social behaviour

Detectives are following up reports from three furious cyclists and believe many more victims are too embarrassed to come forward.

In the latest incident, the youths, in a black car, slowed down before the passenger leaned out and slapped a shocked women cyclist on her bottom, causing her to wobble, lose control of her bike and nearly fall off.